Nowadays, residents of New Jersey and the nation who fall within a particular age group are known as millennials, and millennials have a reputation for regularly engaging in dangerous driving practices. Just how much of that “bad driver” reputation do they actually deserve, though, and just how much are they endangering the rest of the motoring public?
Per USA Today, millennial motorists are, in fact, that bad. The publication even goes so far as to refer to drivers within this young age group as “highway hazards,” reporting that many of them engage in careless, unacceptable and hypocritical behaviors behind the wheel. For example, while many millennial drivers asserted that they felt it was unacceptable for people to drive aggressively or drive while under the influence, many of those same drivers admitted to taking such actions within the previous 30 days.
Just what types of behaviors are millennial drivers engaging in? Failing to stop at red lights is one such behavior, with almost 50 percent of millennial drivers surveyed reporting that they had driven through a red light within the past 30 days, and even when they had enough time to stop. Speeding in school zones is another, with almost 12 percent of millennial motorists saying that they thought it was acceptable to travel at least 10 mph over the speed limit when navigating their way through school zones.
Millennial drivers also text and email behind the wheel almost twice as much as motorists across other age groups. While just over 31 percent of drivers across other age groups admitted to texting or emailing while driving within the last 30 days, nearly 60 percent of millennials surveyed reported doing so.
This information is educational in nature and is not a replacement for legal advice.